Budget Ski Resort Index 2026
32 North American resorts ranked on real value — walk-up day rate, vertical drop, cost per metre and multi-resort pass coverage. Find the cheapest serious skiing on the continent.
Best Value resorts
12
of 31 compared
Cheapest day rate
$50
Powder King — Canada
Best cost per metre
8¢/m
Powder King — Canada
| Resort | Region | Day pass | Vertical | ¢/m | Passes | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powder King 12 m annual snowfall — best snow-per-dollar in North America | Northern BC Canada | $50 | 640 m | 8¢ | Indy | Best Value |
| Castle Mountain Biggest vertical-per-dollar in the Canadian Rockies | Alberta Canada | $70 | 859 m | 8¢ | Indy | Best Value |
| Marmot Basin Jasper National Park — uncrowded big mountain at half Banff prices | Alberta Canada | $95 | 914 m | 10¢ | Ikon | Best Value |
| Shames Mountain Co-op owned — 12 m of coastal BC snow at CAD$72 | Northern BC Canada | $53 | 488 m | 11¢ | Indy | Best Value |
| Whitewater Nelson BC powder co-op — 12 m snowfall, no snowmaking | Interior BC Canada | $73 | 627 m | 12¢ | Indy | Best Value |
| Bogus Basin Non-profit — night skiing included, free buses from Boise | Idaho USA | $69 | 558 m | 12¢ | — | Best Value |
| Bridger Bowl Non-profit — Bozeman locals' hill with serious ridge terrain | Montana USA | $80 | 640 m | 13¢ | Indy | Best Value |
| Loveland Front Range alternative to Vail — same powder, third the price | Colorado USA | $99 | 762 m | 13¢ | — | Best Value |
| Magic Mountain East Coast's cult independent — old-school New England terrain | Vermont USA | $79 | 488 m | 16¢ | Indy | Best Value |
| Brundage McCall ID — uncrowded with Idaho cat-skiing add-ons from $400 | Idaho USA | $89 | 549 m | 16¢ | Indy | Best Value |
| Sipapu Cheapest US Mountain West day ticket — Power Pass partner | New Mexico USA | $59 | 320 m | 18¢ | — | Best Value |
| Mount Bohemia $115 season pass — cheapest serious skiing in North America | Michigan UP USA | $79 | 273 m | 29¢ | Indy | Best Value |
| Red Mountain BC powder + Indy Pass coverage = best Western Canada value | Interior BC Canada | $95 | 890 m | 11¢ | Indy, Ikon | Strong Value |
| Sun Peaks BC's third-largest resort — Ikon access at moderate gate price | Interior BC Canada | $103 | 882 m | 12¢ | Ikon | Strong Value |
| Mont Sutton Quebec's cheapest big-name mountain with glade skiing | Quebec Canada | $59 | 460 m | 13¢ | Indy | Strong Value |
| Sunlight Mountain 45 min from Aspen — same Roaring Fork snow, third the price | Colorado USA | $89 | 670 m | 13¢ | — | Strong Value |
| Whitefish Mountain Big Mountain on a budget — 1,215 ha for under $100 | Montana USA | $99 | 716 m | 14¢ | — | Strong Value |
| Mount Washington 1,200 cm Pacific snowfall — cheapest big resort on the island | Vancouver Island Canada | $76 | 505 m | 15¢ | Indy | Strong Value |
| Cannon Mountain State-owned — biggest vertical in New Hampshire at fair price | New Hampshire USA | $99 | 645 m | 15¢ | Indy | Strong Value |
| Wolf Creek 230 cm Dec snowfall — cheapest deep-snow Colorado destination | Southern Colorado USA | $89 | 518 m | 17¢ | — | Strong Value |
| Mount Snow Cheapest Epic-network Vermont mountain at the gate | Vermont USA | $119 | 521 m | 23¢ | Epic | Strong Value |
| Revelstoke North America's biggest vertical — best dollar-per-foot at the top | Interior BC Canada | $148 | 1,713 m | 9¢ | Mountain Collective, Ikon | Fair Value |
| Banff Sunshine Best Canadian Rockies value via Mountain Collective | Alberta Canada | $132 | 1,070 m | 12¢ | Mountain Collective, Ikon | Fair Value |
| Whistler Blackcomb Biggest in North America — Epic Day Pass = $103/day at most | Coastal BC Canada | $184 | 1,530 m | 12¢ | Epic | Fair Value |
| Lake Louise Cheaper than Banff Sunshine on day rate — Mountain Collective $50/day | Alberta Canada | $130 | 991 m | 13¢ | Mountain Collective, Ikon | Fair Value |
| Big Sky Ikon Base = $35/day at North America's 2nd-largest resort | Montana USA | $219 | 1,366 m | 16¢ | Ikon | Fair Value |
| Killington East Coast's biggest vertical — Ikon brings price down to $40/day | Vermont USA | $159 | 932 m | 17¢ | Ikon | Fair Value |
| Crested Butte Epic Local makes Crested Butte $50/day for a 7-day trip | Colorado USA | $189 | 877 m | 22¢ | Epic | Fair Value |
| Mammoth Mountain Sierra big mountain — Ikon unlimited brings to $40/day | California USA | $209 | 945 m | 22¢ | Ikon | Fair Value |
| Stowe Epic Pass = $50/day; walk-up rates the worst on this list | Vermont USA | $175 | 716 m | 24¢ | Epic | Fair Value |
| Park City Biggest US resort — Epic Pass turns it into $40/day if you ski 7+ | Utah USA | $269 | 1,006 m | 27¢ | Epic | Fair Value |